End wing jig for awnings



1957 w. E. BOBO ETAL END WING JIG FOR AWNINGS Filed Aug. 25, 1953 FIG FIG, 3

FIG 2 FIG IN VEN TOR. FORREST H. HUDSON BY WALTON E. 8050 @La) W A TTORNEY United States Patent END WING JIG FOR AWNINGS Walton E. Bobo, Decatur, Ga., and Forrest H. Hudson, Medina, Ohio, assignors to Ray-O-Lite Corp. of America, Atlanta, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application August 25, 1953, Serial No. 376,324

3 Claims. (Cl. 144-488) This invention relates to jigs and more particularly to an end wing jig for awnings, by means of which the louvered end wings of rigid awnings are constructed.

In constructing a rigid awning of either plastic or metal, the slope of the awning depends to some extent on the size of the window, the proximity of other structures, the slope of the roof of the building, etc. It is therefore apparent that in order to provide for fast assembly of awnings having various slopes, there must be some means whereby the slope of the end wings to be manufactured may be readily determined and changed from awning to awning. It is also apparent that, in most instances, an awning structure must be provided with complementary end wings having substantially identical slope; and, where the end wings include louvers, they should be of substantially identical size and spacing.

The present invention is adapted to be used in the rapid construction of awnings having end wings with vertically spaced louvers and is especially adapted for the manufacture of awnings in accordance with our United States Patent No. D. 168,368, issued December 9, l952.-

Briefly, our invention comprises a flat board or base having a plurality of transverse angle beam carriers attached thereto and an adjustable base plate in substantially parallel relation to the transverse carriers. Located centrally on the flat base is a pivot pin from which a pair of carrying arms radiate. These arms are movable in an arc about the pivot pin and are provided with dowels which may be made to project into the board at predetermined positions, thereby fixing temporarily the angle between the respective arms and the transverse carriers. To form the end wings, angle beams fit into the respective brackets, and louvers are secured to these angle beams, the space between the louvers being determined by equally spaced L-shaped stops aligned with the transverse brackets, and thedownward projection of the louvers is limited by the base plate.

It is an object of our invention to provide an end wing jig whereby one end wing or complementary end wing of an awning structure may be made, the slope and dimensions of which are predetermined by the setting of the jig.

Another object of our invention is to provide an end wing jig whereby the spacing of louvered sections of an awning end wing may be effected. Another object of our invention is to provide an end wing jig which is simple and economical in construction, durable in structure and easily operated by an inexperienced operator.

Another object of our invention is to provide an end wing jig which will decrease the assembly time for awning structures. v

1 Other and further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an end wing jig constructed in accordance with out invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end view taken along line 2-2 1n Fi 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged end view taken along line 3-3 in Fi 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view of the end wing jig shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to the embodiment chosen for purpose of illustration, numeral 10 denotes a board or base having a flat surface which constitutes a work bench for assembling end wings of awnings. In the drawing, this base, for convenience, is illustrated as being rectangular, even though other shapes may be as desirable.

Transversely positioned on the surface of base 10 along the lower edge thereof is a straight L-shaped alignment flange 11 having one arm upstanding and the other arm fastened to base 10 by screws 12. Located in parallel relation to flange 11 and to each other on the surface of base 10 are transverse brackets 13, 13 and brackets 14, 14. As will be more fully brought out hereinafter, brackets 13, 13 are utilized in the manufacture of awnings having a relatively wide front valance, while brackets 14, 14 are utilized in the manufacture of awnings having a relatively narrow front valance. As shown in the drawings, both brackets 13, 13' and brackets 14, 14' comprise a pair of opposed L-shaped upstanding carriers, each arranged to retain a pair of aligned angle beams, such as beam 15 illustrated in Fig. 2; however, the upstanding portions of these carriers are shorter than flange 11 so that flange 11 may act as an alignment flange for the louvers of the end wings. Since complementary end wings are to be made by the jig, brackets 13, 13' and 14, 14 are respectively bisected by abutments such as abutment 9 which is fixed at the midpoint between brackets 14, 14' whereby an end of an angle beam carried thereby will abut one side of abutment 9 and the end of the other angle beam will abut the other side.

In manufacturing an awning having a relatively narrow front valance, a removable spacer member is inserted over the upstanding arm of flange 11 to reduce the effective length of louvers 16 of the end wings. This spacer member comprises an inverted channel member 17 provided with an internal shoulder 18 on which is mounted an angle member forming holding arm 19. A portion of holding arm 19 is in spaced relation to one arm of the channel member and thus cooperates with this arm to form a friction catch between which flange 11 projects when the spacer member is mounted thereon. It will thus be seen that when the spacer member is installed, as seen in Fig. 2, it partially encompasses brackets 13, 13' whereby the other arm of channel member 17 replaces flange 11 as an alignment flange for the louvers. It is apparent that by installing various width spacer members similar to the spacer member shown, the effective length of the louvers may be adjusted as desired.

Located somewhat centrally on board 10 is a pivot pin, shown in Fig. l as a bolt 20. Left Wing 21 and right wing arm 22 radiate from bolt 20 and are straight channel members of suflicient length to project beyond base 10. Each of the arms 21 and- 22 are pivotally retained in place by bolt 20 so that they may be rotated about it in arcs from horizontal to substantially vertical positions. Within arms 21 and 22 arelocated, respectively, brackets 23, 23' and 24, 24' which project upwardly therefrom substantially the same distance that brackets 13, 13' and 14, 14 project from base 10. As shown in Fig. 3, brackets 24, 24' are adapted to receive an angle beam 25, and brackets 23, 23' are also adapted to receive an angle beam in similar manner.

A plurality of equallyspaced holes 26 in base 10 are arranged in an are about pivot pin 20; and, if desired,

reinforcing sheet material 27 having these holes may be provided over board 10, as shown in Fig. l, to lengthen the useful life of the end wing jig. Dowel pins 28 and 29 in Fig. 1 pass respectively through arms 21 and 22 and each is adapted to project into any one of holes 26 provided arms 21 and 22 are arranged to align the dowel with the hole.

Between bolt 20 and brackets 14, 14, a plurality of equally spaced upstanding guide stops 3% are arranged in a straight line parallel to brackets 14, 14 so that each of stops 30 projects above the plane in which the upper edges of brackets 13, i4, 23 and 24 lie.

Operation Using the end wing jig heretofore described in constructing an awning having a wide front valance and a roof sloping at a given angle, arms 21 and 22 are arranged to correspond to the angle of slope of the roof. This is accomplished by removing dowels 2% and 29, then positioning the respective arm and replacing the dowels so that each dowel projects respectively into one of holes 26 on the side of base 10 which the respective arm is located. For this purpose, holes 26 may be numbered or appropriate indices placed adjacent the holes. It is to be remembered that complementary acute angles should be formed between arm 21 and brackets l4, l4 and between arm 22 and brackets 14, 14, so that the angle thus formed will substantially correspond to the angle of slope of the roof from a horizontal plane.

Since it has been specified for this illustration that the awning should have a wide front valance, the spacer member retained by flange 11 is removed; thus, flange 11 becomes an alignment flange for aligning the louvers forming the end wings. Next, angle beams are inserted between brackets 23, 23 and between brackets 24, 24', each arm containing one angle beam held between one pair of brackets. Fig. 3 illustrates the positioning of angle beam 25 in brackets 24, 24', and another angle beam (not shown) is positioned between brackets 23, 23 in similar manner. A pair of other angle beams (not shown) are installed between brackets 13, 13 one end of one angle beam abutting one side of the abutment such as abutment 9 and one end of the other angle beam abutting the other side of that abutment, in a manner similar to the insertion of angle beam 15 into brackets 14, 14.

After the angle beams are installed, a plurality of slats to form louvers, such as louver 16, are respectively placed laterally across the angle beams, whereby the ends of each slat abuts flange 11. The slats are also respectively arranged so that one slat is located in each space between adjacent stops 3%. The slats' are next secured to the angle beams over which they pass, and a saw or cutting member (not shown) may then be passed along the angle beams retained by brackets 24, 24 and 23, 23 to cut all slats along a line of the respective angle beam. The end wings are now completed and may be removed from the jig.

In forming an awning having a narrow front valance instead of a wide front valance, the spacer member is installed on flange it, as shown in Fig. 2, and thus replaces flange 11 as an alignment flange. In this instance, beams such as beam 15, are retained by brackets 14, 14' instead of brackets 13, 13' and will form the lower angle beams of the end wings. With the above changes, the construction of the end wings for the narrow front valance awning is substantially identical with the construction of the end wings for the wide front valance awning.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that the width of the front valance of the awning structure having end wings constructed on our end wing jig, is substantially the distance between bolt 26} and the alignment flange, i. e., flange 11 or the spacer member as the case may be, and that the depth of the awning structure will depend on the number, width and spacing of the louvers.

While we have chosen for illustration an end wing jig for constructing end wings having straight lower edges, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the lower edge of this end wing may be varied or curved by varying or curving the alignment flange. It is equally obvious that many other variations may be made in the single embodiment chosen for purpose of illustration without departing from the scope of our invention as defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An end wing jig for use in the construction of an awning end wing having spaced louvers comprising, a substantially flat base, an alignment flange transversely positioned adjacent one edge of said flat base, said alignment flange projecting outwardly from the surface of said base, a removeable spacer member adapted to be carried by said alignment flange, said spacer member being provided with a surface which when said spacer member is carried by said alignment flange is spaced from said alignment flange and against which said louvers may abut, brackets projecting from the surface of said base and extending parallel to said alignment flange, said brackets being adapted to receive a'member to form the frame of said end wing, a pivot pin located on said base, an arm extending radially from said pivot pin along the surface of said base, said arm being movable in an are about said pivot pin and being adapted to receive a second member to form the frame of said end wing, a plurality of spaced stops projecting outwardly from the surface of said base and being adapted to define the position of said louvers of said end wing, and means for adjustably fixing the angle between said arm and said brackets.

2. An end wing jig for use in the construction of awning end wings having spaced louvers comprising, a base, an alignment flange transversely positioned adjacent one edge of said base, said alignment flange projecting outwardly from the surface of said base, a removeable spacer member adapted to be carried by said alignment flange, said spacer member being provided with a surface which when said spacer member is carried by said alignment flange is spaced from said alignment flange and against which said louvers may abut, a pivot pin located on said base, an arm extending radially from said pivot pin along the surface of said base, said arm being moveable in an are about said pivot pin and being adapted to receive a member to form the frame of said end wing, a plurality of spaced stops projecting outwardly from the surface of said base and being adapted to define the position of said louvers of said end wing, and means for adjustably fixing the angle between said arms and said alignment flange.

3. An end wing jig for use in the construction of an awning end wing having spaced louvers comprising, a base, an alignment flange transversely positioned adjacent one edge of said base, said alignment flange projecting outwardly from the surface of said base, brackets projecting from the surface of said base and extending parallel to said alignment flange, said brackets being adapted to receive a member to form the frame of said end wing, a pivot pin located on said base, an arm extending radially from said pivot pin along the surface of said base, said arm being moveable in an are about said pivot pin and being adapted to receive a second member to form the frame of said end wing, a plurality of spaced stops projecting outwardly from the surface of said base and being adapted to define the position of said louvers of said end wing, and means for adjustably fixing the angle between said arm and said brackets.

References (Jilted in the file of this patent UNETED STATES PATENTS 1,862,414 McAlister June 7, 1932 2,212,421 Henderson Aug. 20, 1940 2,305,124 Wilson et a1. Dec. 15, 1942' 2,323,528 Faulhaber July 6, 1943 2,353,954 Duffy et al July 18, 1944 2,655,188 Catching Oct. 13, 1953 

